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I'm puting 4th gen ZR1 wheels on with 2" spacers on each wheel. Cost for the spacer $318 which includes shipping and chrome lug nuts. All you have to buy is 4 locking lugs. (about $8 at local car part store)
Accually a friend of mine used yellow legos to make his J/K
If you want to see what these spacers look like go to http://www.skulte.com/adapters.html You have to bolt the adaptors on to your car, then the new wheels bolt onto the adaptors. If the you only needed to be about about 1/2 inch thick od clearance you could make it at home, it would just be a 1/2 inch thich peice of meteal with 5 holes in it (that would be a spacer not an adaptor, like you need). The ones on the site are made with billet aluminum and are machine made. They are just as strong as that is orig used on the car.
With those wheels that you want make sure you NEED wheel adaptors though. I never looked at getting those year wheels, mine are newer style, I cant say if they need spacers or not. If your freind is getting a set, try them on you car and see how the fit. If the insde of the wheel is to close to the wheel well they will need adaptors. Also third gen cars have a ball in the center of the lugs (see pic) that is why there is a hole in the center of the wheels. That ball sticks out about 1 to 2 inches, look at those wheels you freind is getting, take off the hub cap and look to see if there is a hole for your "ball" to fit into. If there is a hole they might fit. What I'm trying to say is -- make shure you can get the new wheels to sit all the way back into the lug nuts (with out it wobbling on the ball). If they wont go all the way back you will need adaptors. Hope it helps, if not let me know I will try to clairify.
keep in mind, if you make your own spacers, you're gonna need to have really long studs pressed in all around the car, 2" longer in the front, which says nothing for strength. The reason the spacers cost $300, is because they have holes to bolt your lugs onto the spacer, and the spacer comes with a set of studs for you to bolt the wheel onto. it is a precision part.
the wheels will not fit without spacers, and even if they did, it would look horribly retarded, because they'd be pushed into the wheelwells significantly further than stock. Especially up front.
Adapters for 4th gen rims are not for clearance of the hub, but to correct the backspacing difference. The 4th gen backspacing is around 7" and the thirdgen backspacing is around 5". Backspacing is the distance from the edge of the inside of the rim to the face where the wheel touches the rotor/drum. Hence the need for 2" or 2 1/4" spaces when putting 4th gen wheels on a thirdgen. If you didnt have spacers, the 4th gen wheels would be located too far into the wheel well and would probably rub the inner fenderwalls in the back and surely rub in the front when turning.
I'm a welder with access to a few machining tools.
The way I would make those spacers would be to make bolt holes in the spacer to bolt it to the hub (nut landings machined away so the nuts are flush) and then press in new studs to bolt the wheel on. easy
Or.. make the spacer out of steal and weld the spacer on the hubs for strength of the whole unit, but that a little too permanent for my liking.
If i get the rims for cheap enough I might look into it.